


another coffee shop au (DISCONTINUED)

by oh_jeez_dude



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: Bisexual John Lennon, Coffeeshop AU, College AU, M/M, Multi, everyone is so god damn gay, george is torn between john and paul, hot damn this is something, it’s a messy love triangle, john has feelings for ringo, let’s clarify, or rectangle, paul is torn between george and ringo, soft fluff, sometime later on the love rectangle will be put into place, this is giving me major ‘friends’ vibes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23978941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_jeez_dude/pseuds/oh_jeez_dude
Summary: what it says on the tin.
Relationships: (background) Cynthia Lennon/Maureen Starkey, (implied) John Lennon/George Harrison, (implied) Paul McCartney/Ringo Starr, George Harrison/Paul McCartney, John Lennon/Ringo Starr
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	1. an overview

**Author's Note:**

> the most gayest thing you’ve ever laid your eyes on

let’s get some stuff straight 

  
-john, 21  
is a mess and is always late to work (works part-time as a journalist) and snags a coffee at the local coffee shop whenever he can, is also at college. wants to major in writing.

-ringo, 24  
works as a barista but aspires to work as a photographer, and always offers john coffee whenever he rushes in. (also at college and is roommates with john) may or may not be gay for john. wants to major in photography, and tries his hardest to get by. 

-paul, 21  
is a co-worker of ringo’s and a longtime friend of john, aspires to use his musical talents but ends up working at a coffee shop. (he lives in a dorm beside ringo’s, is roommates with george) always teases john if he’s a late mess, is torn between his feelings for george and ringo. wants to quit his job and live out his dream.

-george, 20   
is tired of everyone’s shit and works alongside paul and ringo, very quiet, wants to get into music, may or may not have something for paul, and is torn between liking him and john (who coincidentally drops by the shop everyday.) aspires to be a musician just like paul, doesn’t know what he wants to major in yet.

-cynthia, 22  
is john’s co-worker, and john’s conscience. keeps him sane, while also badgering him on everything work related, though she’s soft and a great person at heart. is roommates and dating maureen. is currently in competition with john when it comes to majoring in journalism.

maureen (or mo), 20  
-is ringo’s best friend and wingwoman, often drops by at the coffee shop to check on him, (wants to get into fashion, also lives in a dorm two doors down of ringo’s.) is dating cynthia. wants to major in fashion design.

strap yourselves in. this is gonna be a wild ride.


	2. messy beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> john’s late for work, ringo’s got it bad, george is stuck in a love triangle, and cynthia is tired.

  
‘shit, shit, shit, i’m late!’ john thought as he (oh, so smoothly) barged into his local coffee shop he sprinted over to the counter (while gathering looks from people around him) “yeah. i’ll have a coffee—doesn’t matter the type, just a coffee!” he said briskly to the short, blue-eyed bartsia in front of him. “alright. here you go, lennon.” he said as he handed the man his steaming coffee. 

“thank you! ringo!” he eyed the man in front of him ‘never really realized how cute he is...’ john mentally kicked himself at the thought, “gotta, run see yeh back at campus ringo!” he quickly set off, drinking his coffee in the process. 

ringo looked at the rushing man incredulously, but smiled nonetheless. “he’s a mess, ain’t he?” paul teased as he walked up to ringo who blushed lightly.  
“yeah, he is.” 

* * *

  
john rushed into the office, where people bustled about pens and notebook in hand. ‘that’s what you get for working for the new york times...’ john thought dryly. he heard black pumps hitting the marble floor he knew who it belonged to. “where have you been, lennon?” a voice impatiently scolded—“uh, i went to get some coffee.” john answered as cynthia walked up to him. 

“you could’ve got one for me, yeh know.” cynthia joked. “well, i didn’t.” john replied back. “have you finished up the article on the cultures of new york?” the blonde asked expectantly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, john quickly sat down and opened up his computer and let the blonde woman check out the article. 

“i’m impressed, john. keep up the good work.” she smiled as she walked off, her black pumps clicking on the marble floor. 

john decided to finish up some essays given to him by his professors—his mind had wandered to the bloke who’d always offered him coffee at the local coffee shop. he smiled softly at thought. ‘nice bloke, he is.’ 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *inhales deeply* yes. feedbacks appreciated!


	3. messy encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> john and ringo have an awkward chat, as john laminates on his newfound bisexuality.

* * *

-outside of john’s dorm, 5:02pm-

ringo arrived at the doorstep. “i hope the place isn’t messy.” he muttered to himself—he opened the door ‘it isn’t locked?’ (it was usually locked) the short man took a look of the room before him—it was fairly messy, it also looked strangely homey. dimly lit lights filled the room as it smelled of autumn.

‘must be some candles’ clothes were messily thrown on a bed and the kitchen area was full of plates that were never cleaned. ringo cringed a bit. he neared another room where a man sat hunched over, a pile of coffee cups strewn about beside him.

“john?” his voice rang out which startled the other man. the frazzled male turned to see ringo. “h-hey, rings! yeh scared me!” he quickly got up and neared ringo—his breath smelling strongly of coffee, ringo smiled.

john felt heat rise to his cheeks ‘ _damn, he has a cute smile..._ ’ john pushed the thought out of his head.

“how was work?” he asked, a bit flustered. “it was okay. y’know, serving coffee to people.”

god. john never looked at ringo fully (whenever he was in a rush, he’d always grab a coffee without looking whoever handed it to him—in hindsight it does seem pretty selfish he’d never thank whoever gave it to him.) ringo is pretty cute...hold on, he shouldn’t be thinking of him like that, he wasn’t gay...he was into girls just as much as he was into guys.

...wait.

“yeh alright, johnny?” the shorter man asked the blushing mess that was john, he quickly cleared his throat and looked away. “i’m alright.”

and now, john had a _lot_ more on his plate.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hot damn! feedbacks appreciated :)


	4. unfocused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> john realizes he’s crushing on his roommate, and has the chance to become closer when given an article discussing the jobs in new york. the deadline’s in three weeks.

* * *

-the new york times-   
john sat, spinning a little in his chair, he just couldn’t _focus_. his mind kept wandering to ringo and how _stupidly cute his smile is and how damn short he is—_

god, john winston lennon has a crush on his roommate. 

john groaned to himself as he faced his computer “focus on your work...” he muttered as he started to type on his computer, finally starting to feeling productive. “john!” cynthia called as she neared him. john groaned mentally to himself, “you’ve got another article to do, from the boss.” cynthia handed him the guidelines for the article. 

‘the jobs of new york.’ “that’s it? bit of a bland title.” john joked dryly. cynthia rolled her eyes, “the deadline is in three weeks. get it done, lennon.” she sighed as she walked off. ‘jobs of new york, eh?’ john thought...he had an idea. 

* * *

john entered the coffee shop, and strolled to the counter, “hey, starkey.” he flashed the shorter man a smile “johnny,” ringo giggled “what’re you doin’ here? aren’t you supposed to be workin’?” john’s grin widened “i’m on break, i’ve got an article to do on jobs in new york—and i thought...why not start here?” 

ringo chuckled “well, you’ve come to the right place. ask away, mr. lennon.” john nodded as pulled out his phone, opening the notes app. 

“first off, how’d yeh feel about juggling both work and college?” he asked as he trained his eyes on the other male. “well...it’s hard yeah, having to juggle work and turning in essays on time, coupled with midterms and finals.” ringo chuckled lightly. john quickly typed away.   
“how much do you get paid? as a barista?” ringo thought for a moment. “not much. but if i get paid, i get paid—not much to it.”   
john smiled, “that’s a surprisingly honest answer.” 

“well you know me, i’m honest.” ringo joked. after a while john eventually finished up asking questions. ‘ _never have i met someone so passionate about journalism..._ ’ ringo thought to himself, he blushed lightly hoping john wouldn’t notice (thankfully he didn’t) “well, i’ve got another 17 minutes, what do you wanna do?” the shorter male shrugged, “whatever you want.” john spoke, simply. 

george (who was in the back room) felt saddened, for a while now, he harbored feelings for john and yet it looks as if he had feelings toward ringo than himself, he thought back to what paul had said about love triangles—it was a silly thing anyway. as that only happened in rom-coms or in twilight. george shuddered, he didn’t want to end up like something out of twilight. 

he and john had been close friends since they were kids. and only now did he have feelings for the other male. the younger man stood up and walked over to the front counter where john and ringo were giggling, he neared ringo “hey, hope i’m not interrupting...” he spoke quietly. 

john took notice of him and ruffled his hair “hey, geo.” he greeted heartedly. pink dusted george’s cheeks “hey, johnny.” he laughed softly, “how’s it going?” john leaned against the counter. “f-fine.” george stammered as he looked away, nervous to continue the conversation. 

john laughed lightly as he checked his phone, “aww, looks as if i have to head back to work, i’ll see you two back at campus?” he asked as he gathered his things. “definitely,” ringo smiled. george bit his lip uneasily.

with that, john left. george sighed—it was going to be a long day. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gahhh, i’ll start posting much longer chapters soon! and get to work on chapter 5! as always, love to hear from you guys :)


	5. worrying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> john’s worries are eased as he finally makes his move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally! a longer chapter, as always feedbacks appreciated:)

* * *

john entered the dorm, where ringo sat, studying “hey, starr.” john greeted “lennon.” ringo jokingly replied, “at least you didn’t call me winston or worse, _lemon_.” john spoke, causing ringo to giggle ‘ _he has one cute giggle..._ ’ john dropped his things near his bed and flopped down onto the hard mattress across from ringo. “what’re yeh doing?” the auburn haired man asked as he stared at the ceiling. “studying. how was work and classes?” ringo faced john, who picked his head up “work was killer. classes were borin’” he stated simply. 

“i feel ya, how’s that article going?” ringo asked, his attention focused on john. 

“it’s coming together, i was thinking of interviewing maureen, since we were planning to hangout tomorrow,”

ringo’s eyes twinkled, “yeah? hope you guys have fun.” 

john sat up, “y’know i was thinking, if you’d join us? i mean if you want, since tomorrow’s saturday and all.” he offered shyly ‘damnit, john. you aren’t supposed to be shy! the hell’s gotten into you?!’ he cursed mentally to himself. 

“i’d like that.” ringo smiled.

surprise flashed john’s eyes for a second, before he relaxed. “good, then it’s settled.” john laughed, ‘tomorrow’s gonna be something’ 

* * *

john and maureen arrived at a local clothing shop, waiting for ringo. “so,” maureen started. “what’s up with you and ringo? i’ve seen how you act around him. aren’t you supposed to the tough guy? because i sure don’t see that.” john couldn’t help but flush at the statement ‘she’s got me there.’ and, like a little child, he said (or whined rather) “shut up, maureen.” 

maureen only chuckled, “well, you’re gonna have to make your move soon. otherwise it’ll be too late.” she advised. john looked to the sidewalk, “you’re right, i should.” he accepted the fact that if he wasn’t going to advance soon, _someone else will._

a bolt of fear went up john’s spine. he quickly composed himself, as ringo walked over.

“sorry! got held up at work!” he apologized, to which maureen assured him. 

they walked into the rather empty clothing store, ringo and john shared a look. this was one of the best fashion shops in all of new york, and yet it’s practically empty. “we’re early, usually this place is crowded in the afternoon.” maureen spoke as she looked around the store. john walked over to the girl, and in order to get his mind off of the growing fear of losing his chance with ringo, decided to interview her. ringo stood afar from the two, watching john in awe, listening into the interview. ‘ _he has a way with words. much better than i am with them.’_ ringo joked dryly within his mind, ringo wished he’d brought his camera with him, as the sight of john and maureen was picture perfect. 

if anything, he and john were _picture perfect..._ he’d have to make a move sooner or later. fear tightened in his chest at the thought. as he quickly pushed the fear down and tried to relax. 

john and maureen finished up, as ringo walked over to the two. with john remarking “you’re really into fashion aren’t you, mo?” trying to process her undying love for clothing after the interview. “yup,” she answered simply. 

the trio left the shop and decided to wander around downtown. the bustling of the people around them making it harder to maneuver around the sidewalk. mo noticed george and paul walk out of a local store. she waved over to them, the two walked over. they all greeted each other, with george and paul giving lingering glances at their respective crushes, before easing the awkwardness away. “fancy seeing you guys here,” john spoke as the five made their way through the sidewalk with the occasional glance at the potential shops to stop at. “it’s a coincidence as well, considering paul wanted to buy more clothes than he already has.” george complained to a blushing paul, ‘ _he’s right_ ’ he admitted to himself.

george glanced at paul, who then realized how cute paul looked when he blushed. or how paul looked cute regardless. ‘ _maybe, i’m reconsidering my apparent crush for john..._ ’ he weighed his options within his mind, before settling. ‘its definitely paul.’ as he and paul shared a look, paul must be thinking the same as him. since john and ringo’s growing chemistry was obvious...maybe, having each other wouldn’t be so bad.

* * *

after spending the day in downtown, the five went to their respective dorms. george shut the door behind him and dropped the shopping bags beside the bed, as paul flopped onto said mattress. “god, today was tiring, wasn’t it georgie?” george flopped beside paul.

“yeah, it was. paulie.” 

paul couldn’t help, but blush at the nickname. as the two shared tender looks, as george leaned in, kissing paul lightly. paul’s eyes widened as his mind swam ‘ _does george like me back?! i better return the favor!_ ’ he quickly kissed george back, soft and light. the two broke apart.“guess this means we’re a thing now?” george cracked a smile. paul laughed, “maybe. we both need some time to think about it, though.” “take all the time you need.” and with that, the two dozed off peacefully. 

he’d have to make a move sooner or later. fear tightened in his chest at the thought. as he quickly pushed the fear down and tried to relax. john and maureen finished up, as ringo walked over to the two. with john remarking “you’re really into fashion aren’t you, mo?” trying to process her undying love for clothing after the interview. “yup,” she answered simply. the trio left the shop and decided to wander around downtown. the bustling of the people around them making it harder to maneuver around the sidewalk.mo noticed george and paul walk out of a local store. she waved over to them, the two noticed and walked over. they all greeted each other, with george and paul giving lingering glances at their respective crushes, before easing the awkwardness away. 

“fancy seeing you guys here,” john spoke as the five made their way through the sidewalk with the occasional glance at the potential shops to stop at. 

“it’s a coincidence as well, considering paul wanted to buy more clothes than he already has.” george complained to a blushing paul, ‘he’s right’ he admitted to himself. george glanced at paul, who then realized how cute paul looked when he blushed. or how paul looked cute regardless. ‘maybe, i’m reconsidering my apparent crush for john...’ he weighed his options within his mind, before settling. ‘its definitely paul.’ as he and paul shared a look, paul must be thinking the same as him. since john and ringo’s growing chemistry was obvious...maybe, having each other wouldn’t be so bad.

* * *

ringo and john sat on the mattress, falling into easy conversation, as john cracked a few jokes. loving to see ringo laugh, “john.” ringo started, “listen...”

”yeah?” john asked, gently.

”i’ve liked you. for a while now, and i was scared of making a move, thinking i’d lose my chances with a guy like you.” 

“you haven’t lost your chance, in fact you’ve only strengthened it.” he took ringo’s hands in his. “i like you too,” he says softly. he leaned in. john kissed him, quick and gentle. he mustered a smile, after he pulled away. ringo looked into john’s eyes, which seemed just a little brighter. ringo pulled john in, for a deep kiss. after pulling away, john sighed and smiled. 

things were _finally_ looking up for them. 

* * *


	6. a friendly little date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> john and ringo decide to take things slow, after the older man voices his regrets of the kiss, the night before. and the two have a little date as to get to know each other better. meanwhile, george reconsiders his newfound relationship with paul...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hot damn, this getting spicy! as always feedback is appreciated :)

* * *

ringo awoke, and the first thing he remembered was the kiss. he groaned internally, it was a spur of the moment, ‘ _i shouldn’t have done that! i don’t even know the guy!_ ’ he got ready for the morning. trying to push down the thoughts of the kiss in his mind. 

* * *

thankfully, work kept him occupied. that is, until john approached him at the counter. “hey, ritchie.” he greeted warmly. “john, listen about the kiss...” his voice dropped to a whisper, “it didn’t feel right. i mean, we barley know each other and it was a spur of the moment thing, and i—“ john interrupted him gently. “honestly, ringo i feel the same...maybe we shouldn’t rush into things so quickly, what’d you think?” ringo nodded, “that’s perfect. let’s take things slow, yeah?” ringo smiled, as john smiled back, warm and genuine. 

ringo’s smile faded into confusion. ‘ _george and paul have been in the back for a while..._ ’ he thought. “here let me get you your order, so we don’t hold up the line.” john quickly ordered his coffee, ringo handed to him and headed to the back. 

george and paul to put it shortly, were _kissing...and it only intensified_. until paul heard the door clicking open, they quickly separated. ringo gave them a strange look, before saying “place will be filled up soon. come up to the front.” he shut the door behind him, he had an _inkling_ of what they were doing, and decided against asking. 

work continued as usual. as ringo thought of john, his smile  
grew upon thinking of seeing him after work. ‘ _maybe, we could hang out tonight, as a little platonic date, to get to know each other...yeah that’d be a good idea._ ’

it was settled. he was going to have a— _platonic_ —date with john. because after the kiss, it seemed only fair. he sent john a quick text, and smiled when he saw the reply ‘ _of course, ringo! i’d love to hangout with you tonight :)_ ’ 

tonight was going to be _amazing._  


* * *

john arrived at the rather small restaurant, the slight breeze in air complimented with the homey feel. soft fluorescent lights strung about the trees and bushes, tables were filled to the brim with food. laughter and chatter filled the air, coupled with the soft classical music in the background. everything was perfect, ‘ _jesus, this place is beautiful._ ’ he thought as he got a text from ringo ‘ _table 10, to your left :)_ ’ john did as was told, arriving at ringo’s table. 

john shot a smile at ringo, who returned it with a flustered one. the auburn haired man sat and decided to start conversation. “so, let’s get to know each other, eh? as you know, i’m studying to become a journalist, and i aspire to work full time at the new york times. what about you?” his eyes lit up as he talked, ringo noticed and chuckled quietly to himself. “well, i want to major in photography. i wish i’d brought my camera, because this moment, right now, being with you? is picture perfect.” john’s eyes widened slightly as a blush creeped up his face. ringo laughed at how cute he looked. the night continued seamlessly as john cracked jokes, subtlety flirting with ringo, as the older man did the same. after that, they left to the campus. entering their dorm. they practically collapsed onto john’s bed. sharing looks that could last a lifetime, as the two drifted off. 

* * *

george and paul were doing what they’ve been doing since they started the relationship, kissing. george pulled away, “maybe we need to reconsider whatever this is...” he spoke breathlessly. “oh, nonsense georgie.” paul reassured and he leaned in, george turned away. “i’m being serious, paul. this isn’t what a relationship is about. constantly kissing...” he trailed off. “well, i can reassure you. that we won’t constantly kiss.” he mocked playfully. 

“well. if you say so...” george spoke.

yeah, george was _definitely_ reconsidering this.

* * *


End file.
